will have your forecast as we continue right now. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good morning. i am jennifer franciotti. >> i am stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> tony pann has a quick look at today's forecast. >> so for the focus is the western suburbs. frederick county, carroll county. let's look at hd doppler. you cannot see the worst of it in the orange and the red -- you can see the worst of it in the orange and the red. you will see some heavy rain for the next 15 or 20 minutes at least. and then it will push into pennsylvania. down towards annapolis, give yourself extra time again this morning.

let's look at the forecast. i think it will clear up this afternoon. most of the rain will be this morning. high temperatures in the upper 70's. we will check the seven-day forecast coming up in just a few minutes. first we say good morning to sarah and see what is happening on the roads on this tuesday. >> a few accidents to watch for. they could be related to the rain. there is an accident at 32. watch for delays there. there are some other problem spots. jewish park lake drive, a vehicle fire. park lake drive, a vehicle fire. let's let it drive times. 11 minutes on the ad lib northeast side. eight minutes to travel on the inner loop from 795 over towards 83.

95 and 32, no signs of a delay. this is northbound traffic. we switch over to a live view of traffic at the bay bridge. no problems here. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> southwest airlines plans to buy airtran airways it would be the merger of the two biggest discount airlines. >> would that merger mean for baltimore? kim dacey is live with that story. >> this merger would be a billion dollar deal, and baltimore should expect to see some effects, with southwest already running 140 flights each day. the merger between southwest and airtran will mean more flights and more passengers for the airport. this translates into revenue for the airport, the city, and the

state. a spokesperson said no decisions have been made about eliminating employees. there likely will be positions cut on the corporate level, more jobs could be coming to baltimore. >> southwest's gets bigger at bwi. there are more flights, not fewer flights. that means more people needed to service those flights, generally and through screening them through security. >> there are positives about the merger, there is one possible negative, a decrease in local ad revenue. this would likely mean less money spent on advertising here. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. a home collapsed and calling attention the housing problem.

firefighters were brought to the scene for p.m. yesterday. nobody was trapped under the rubble. there are 30,000 vacant homes in the city. it is a matter of time before one collapses on top boat somebody. >> once the water gets in them and the walls start decaying, is a matter of time before they fall in. >> for years and years. do something with it. don't just let them sit there and sit there. the same thing will happen again. nobody was hurt this time. eventually, somebody is going to get hurt. >> you can dial 311 to report vacant homes that look structurally unsound. they will arrange to shore up or demolish homes that pose a threat.

>> dna evidence took center stage in the ken harris murder trial. kelly miller spent the day saying how police were charged the three defendants. testimony resumes later today. a white supremacist will spend 31 days in prison for an attack on an elderly fishermen. the judge sentenced the man to 31 years for assault and a hate crime against james privett. lockner said the attack would not have happened if privett was white. a trial date of january 26 has been set for john wagner and his wife lavelva merritt. the couple killed stephen pitcairn during a robbery last

july. police say they recovered bloody evidence that ties them directly to the crime. >> it is a senate showdown that has been brewing. democrats say the measure will punished companies that ship jobs overseas. kate amara joins us live from our washington bureau with more on the story. >> good morning. senate democrats are hoping today's test vote will help them score points with voters back home. with the midterm elections five about the sour economy, senate democrats are pushing legislation, a measure they say will create jobs in the u.s. instead of shipping them overseas. >> we should reward american companies that keep good-paying jobs in america. that is what the tax code should reward.

>> democrats say tax cuts would be ended for businesses, and they would offer incentives for companies that bring work back home. >> who in the world believes we should be rewarding corporations in our country for shipping jobs overseas? >> republicans say it is nothing more than political gamesmanship by democrats eager to save their own jobs and are expected to block the bill in a vote today. >> this could hinder job creation in america and send american jobs overseas. >> it would lead to a net decrease in american jobs. >> the u.s. chamber of commerce bill. it has little chance of actually moving forward today. kate amara, wbal-tv 11 news. back to you. >> why put a bill up for a vote

passing? >> with the hope that the votes play out on the campaign trail. democrats are hoping their yes votes will show they are sympathetic with voters who are struggling in the economy. they are hoping for the republican opponents that vote against that, democrats are hoping to use that against the gop on the campaign trout. >> i think i understand that. thank you. have a great day. >> the wiretap powers have been expanded. now they are asking for permission to expand even further come into your own social online network. federal officials are seeking to expand their wiretap powers to include those networks. others are worried about the possible dampening effect that

government buys might have on them. >> it could start out that they are just doing facebook and it goes on to everything. >> it is your own personal business. something that they can see you do. but they do not have to go into my blackberry. >> it might take up to a year before any changes could take effect. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the possibility of expanding wiretap laws to include social media like facebook, skype, and twitter? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. again, that is watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> 71 degrees on tv hill. coming up, the morning's financial news in the bloomberg business report. >> there is a massive fire in a houston complex. >> if you do your taxes the old fashioned way, it is about to get more inconvenient for you.

we'll explain why. >> we have some rain out there this morning. we will take a look at hd doppler and check the seven day in just a few minutes. >> an accident in howard county on 95. on 95.

>> welcome back. it is 12 minutes after 6:00 a.m. 73 degrees at the maryland science center. we're picking up some rain again this morning. there was some really heavy rain

moving through the western suburbs. most of that has moved into pennsylvania now. we still see moderate rain in howard county, carroll county, and in frederick. the heaviest stuff has passed on by. this is all moving up towards baltimore city. cockeysville, you guys are next in line. it will move into the northern part of baltimore county. we have some scattered showers across the eastern shore counties. we have had a pretty sustained wind and that is pushing water up the chesapeake bay. if you are watching on the western shore, there could be some minor flooding during high tide this morning. it could comment two feet above average. because of the push from the south east wind. give yourself extra time this

morning. let's take a wider view. you can see showers and thunderstorms all the way down into the carolinas. the center of the storm is through west virginia. we have to wait for the center to pass by. that will happen later this afternoon. you can see the swirl. you cannot see the clouds breaking up -- you can see the clouds breaking up. most of the rate should be got by the time we get too early afternoon -- most of the rain should be gone by the time we get to the early afternoon. there will be another chance of rain wednesday night. upper 60's and relatively mild for this time of the year. we will shoot up close to 80. showers and thunderstorms this morning. the drive home will be much better than the drive to work.

76 andatures betwee 66 81. the rain may come back with high temperatures in the 70's. there could be more rain coming in from a night and saturday. after that it should clear but it will turn chilly with temperatures in the 60's on sunday and monday and overnight lows in the 40's. >> it doesn't take a lot of rain to see problems. we have several accidents. northbound 95 at 32. southbound 295 past 895. another reported on the inner loop just past 795. we will be checking on that. old frederick road, we do have some downed wires to watch for. oakfield avenue, there's still

some police activity. kingston wrote, an accident and one still being worked on harrison avenue. things are still in pretty good shape despite the accident past 32. this is traffic at sandy point. so far, things are running smoothly despite the fact that the roads are all wet at the bay bridge. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> 6 members of the south florida family are killed near west palm beach. four children and their mother were found dead. the gunman is described as the woman's estranged husband. seven children were inside at the time. one of them was also shot and wounded. there was a fire at a texas apartment outside houston. eight units were destroyed early

monday morning. firefighters had to see cover went live ammunition began exploding. one firefighter was hurt when he fell through part of the floor. there is no word right now on what caused that fire. it is a big day in the nashville as the grand old opry is set to reopen. by august, it was much improved. the return in music city is a high note that rings beyond country music. >> if you do your taxes the old fashioned way, prepare to do more legwork this year. the internal revenue service will no longer mail tax forms and instructions. you can still pick them up at post offices and libraries.

many choose to file electronically. this will save the government $10 million a year. if you have ever had a bad loss by an airline, you know how much of a hassle that can be. this would cut into more than $3 billion in yearly airline revenues. this measure is being opposed. the tablet computer wars are heating up. jane king has that and more in this morning's bloomberg business report. >> blackberry maker unveiled its own tablet computer to rival the ipad. it is called the playbook. many of customers have been buying the ipad. it has a seven-inch screen and it is slimmer and lighter and

will be available in the u.s. early next year. apple becoming at what the new version of the ipad next summer. the updated ipad will be thinner with a built-in camera. stocks fell yesterday. the bloomberg maryland index also fell. m&t bank shares plummeted. merger talks have broken down once again. they have become the ninth biggest savings bank by deposit. a senior analyst says amity could be an attractive takeover for pnc. a chief financial officer will leave the company. new hotels in san francisco and deals worth almost $300 million. that is business.

i'm jane king for wbal-tv 11 news. >> we have all heard about the mind-body connection. some hospitals are trying to promote that sense of well- being. a doctor says open garden spaces play a big part inpatient healing. >> i had a patient last week that said this is such an artificial environment. i cannot breathe the real beer. >> it is beautiful up here. these spaces are important for everybody. >> offering a healing and varmint to patients and their families like a garden cannot impact somebody's health. >> very nice. 71 degrees on tv hill.

another check on weather and traffic straight ahead. >> you know who the ravens faced this weekend. it is a critical game against the pittsburgh steelers. pete gilbert will have sports. >> don't forget to e-mail us your response to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the possibility of expanding wiretap laws to include social media like facebook, skype, and twitter? e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at last night's winning maryland lottery numbers.

man: let me see the map. just drive, we'll get there! adventure runs on dunkin', with our lineup of oven-toasted breakfast sandwiches. grab your favorite, just the way you like it. with three freshly baked bagel twists for only $3, like our delicious new tomato basil or sweet chocolate chip, so grab three for 3 today.

[ ding! ] >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> we are tracking a handful of problems. the weather is not helping. give yourself some extra time. southbound 95. the accident was originally reported northbound. it is near east down 32. another accident location and there is a reported crashed on the inner loop past 795 on the northwest corner. there are some downed wires to avoid. in the middle river, there are two accidents to avoid. one is near harrison avenue. traffic is building in the southbound direction with the accident to ease down 32.

this shows wet roads on the west side. that will pickup in volume very soon. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. some rainealing with showers. the heaviest stuff is now gone into the southern part of pennsylvania. there is still some moderate rain in baltimore city and into frederick and carroll counties as well. give yourself as much extra time as you can pre rain is likely this morning. it will taper off as we head to lunchtime. the sun may peak out this afternoon with temperatures in the 70's. it is sports time now. >> the ravens feel much better about their offense after the wind against the browns. the cleveland browns running back ran for 142 yards against

the ravens. they have already given up four runs of 20 or more. john harbaugh saw as quarterback make a huge improvement. the coach was the defense to shore up the run defense. >> it was his first opportunity to shine. he is a guy we have to contend with. we did not get off blocks quick enough. it is always a combination of things. all things are correctable. we believe in the fronts we play and we have good players. we need to play better to encourage better and stop the run. >> good news for ray rice. just a bruise. he might play on sunday against the steelers. the birds are doing the best from keeping tampa from winning

the american league east. buck showalter was a spectator thanks to a suspension from the league. he might want to enjoy the sky box a little longer. top of the fifth, nick markakis. 1-0 orioles. brian matusz pitched well. the orioles get the win 4-0. in monday night football, the bears upset the packers' 20-17. >> and you stayed up for that game. >> i tried to sleep. >> it is nice to have you here on tuesday. 71 degrees on tv hill. much more to come in our next half-hour of 11 news today. >> southwest and airtran airlines could be merging.

>> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today in hd. >> good morning, everybody.

welcome back. i am stan stovall. >> and diane jennifer franciotti. tony pann has a quick look at today's forecast. is the rain going to move out? >> this morning, give yourself as much extra time as you can. thunderstorms and showers to start today. we will see some clearing up this afternoon. the evening commute will be much better. we'll check the hd doppler and the seven-day forecast when we come back. >> a merger between the largest discount mergers could be on the horizon. >> southwest plans to buy airtran airways. kim dacey has more of what this means for the airport and baltimore. >> southwest is already the largest air carrier and at least one local economist predicts the announcement will mean bigger and better things for bwi and for baltimore.

southwest airlines is the largest carrier, running some 140 flights a day out of baltimore. a merger between southwest and airtran will mean more flights and more passengers. those increased passengers will spend more money on things like parking and food. that means more money for the airport, the city, and the state. >> there could be spin-off benefits for the conventions and hotels. more flights coming here and more people will choose baltimore-area hotels. >> there are still some unanswered questions about the deal. no decision has been made about eliminating employees. there will likely be job losses on the corporate level. >> the notion is that southwest gets bigger at bwi.

there are more flights and that means more people needed to service those flights and to help passengers and screening them through security. >> there are positives about the merger, one possible negative could be a decrease in local ad revenue, less competition would spend less money on advertising here. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> one person is dead and three others injured in a crash in anne arundel county. this was a long route 50 just before 1:00 p.m. yesterday. police are still trying to figure out if weather played a part. >> police are looking over some surveillance footage in the hope of finding whoever is responsible for a stabbing at security square mall. police say a camera captured the attacked. >> is subject approached a

student of the trade school here at security small who was walking through the mall and stabbed the victim in the back. the suspect fled from the scene. >> please do not have a motive behind the stabbing. a california man could spend 50 years behind bars for a crash adenhart.d nick 8 ha gallow ran a red light and t- bond the car that adenhart was in. >> hopkins officials say dr. david cohen has been released and is recovering at home. he was delivering news to paul pardus about his mother's medical condition when he pulled out a gun and shot the doctor. this began a standoff. >> if you build it, they will

come. the crowds came early as the first slots parlor through open its doors. hollywood casino has 34,000 square feet and 1500 slot machines. it is already drawing enthusiastic customers the quest we have in 2000 cars a day pass us. people have to pass us to get to the delaware casinos. we're the closest to baltimore. i think it is great for the state. it is a much shorter drive. >> the cecil county casino is expected to gross $160 million in its first full year of operations. >> the ehrlich campaign is accusing martin o'malley of using a state agency to whitewash economic news. they have obtained e-mails which

give them reason to believe the o'malley administration views and administration to paint a rosier picture of job growth. despite a memo that was posted showing a faltering recovery in july and was replaced by a more upbeat summary. republican officials are now calling for an investigation. >> went one level of that government makes stuff up and you can no longer trust the grassley of their words, then the whole concept of self governance flies out the window. >> officials say the report that was pulled was in turmoil and was not meant for the public. the governor made no comment on that subject yesterday. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> we have a mess on the west side. we're hearing it is the outer

loop. you can see how heavy traffic is. it is just past 795. traffic is almost at a standstill. it will take a while for that to clear out. thises 95 showing southbound delays approaching 32. we switch over and show you the the speed sensors past 795 indicating 16 miles per hour. that stretches down towards the accident scene. a new accident involved a pedestrian and we have one southbound to 95 past 895. there are some downed wires. southbound 95 on the ramp to eastbound 32. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we're dealing with the rain to stop the morning commute. most of the heavy rain is in pennsylvania. we have some modern stuff

around frederick, just east of frederick. baltimore county and in st. michaels on the eastern shore. give yourself some extra time this morning. showers and maybe a thunderstorm to start the day. i think we might get some sunshine this afternoon. the evening commute will be much better. rain comes back winds tonight and thursday. then it gets chilly as you head towards the tail end of the week. we did the seven day -- i am used to tease in the seven-day. >> the bears win last night. >> we will do bears highlights. >> 72 degrees on tv hill. we will show you a use for pumpkins that you might not have thought of on your own. >> we are still taking your answers to our water cooler question of the day. what do you think of the possibility of expanding wiretap laws to include social media like facebook, skype, and twitter?

e-mail your response to watercooler@wbaltv.com. watercooler@wbaltv.com. bob ehrlich's real record on energy. lobbyists helped write utility regulations. we got stuck with a 72% rate hike. but martin o'malley got tough on bge, forcing them to pay back $2 billion to consumers. and what's bob ehrlich been doing the past four years? he got paid $2.5 million at a lobbying firm, a firm representing special interests and casinos right here in maryland. that's bob ehrlich-- a 72% increase for us

and $2.5 million from special interests for himself. nice work, bob.

wed you aday we should boat of chocolate. giant pumpkins or turned into a race boats in southern germany. pumpkins were raised in a course more than 650 feet long. there was a pumpkin diet. this was the second year for the

race. >> in china, a family is not getting along like cats and dogs despite the fact they are cats and dogs. puppies.st delivered copie the dog either did not see or do not care about any of the differences between the babies and is caring for the entire set and there is no sibling rivalries. the puppies and tigers sleep together. >> the mommies all love their babies. >> 72 degrees on tv hill. we will check the morning headlines coming up. >> there is a mess on the west side. we will let you know how it is

impacting 795. >> we are dealing with some rain again this morning. we will check the hd doppler and give you the complete seven-day in a moment. tax on everything you buy? that's in andy harris' unfair tax plan. 23% sales tax. a 23% sales tax will cut my business in half. would be devastating. andy harris' 23% sales tax absolutely makes no sense. 23% sales tax would really make things unaffordable. that's too high for the average american out here. i don't know how we would manage it really. don't like that idea. we can't afford andy harris' idea. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message. bob ehrlich pretends to be for the working guy... but he's not on our side. i thought i knew bob ehrlich, but then i found out...

he raised property taxes on every maryland family... and business. he increased college tuition... by 40%. 40%. and i thought i knew bob ehrlich. he was against raising the minimum wage. made $2.5 million... working for a lobbying firm. $2.5 million? he's not really on my side. with this tough economy, we really need a governor on our side. old gibbs canning company. today these factories are full of dot com businesses. and now my job is helping maryland create

new economy jobs. training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start building electric motors. i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. >> welcome back. baltimore county police are looking for suspects and a late night murder in cockeysville. detectives were called last night after reports of a fight. a male victim was found suffering from head trauma and he was pronounced dead at the scene. a writer is receiving some national acclaim this morning. david simon is the recipient of

a genius award, showed exceptional merit in intense creative work. it is unusual for a tv writer to receive such an award. with new communication media, federal officials are seeking to include wiretap laws to include those venues. government eyes might have on them. >> that brings us to your answers to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- what do you think of the possibility of expanding wiretap laws to include social media like facebook, skype, and twitter?

>> thank you for writing in. >> we will post more of your answers on the front page of wbaltv.com. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. date.'s get you up to it is busy. the rain is coming down. this is the northwest corner of the beltway. there is an accident in the outer loop just past 795. it is at a crawl approaching that scene. that stretches back to stevenson. those delays will get worse.

we'll take a look at a map in a moment. this is a live view where things are looking much better. we're watching to see if delays begin here. the speed sensors of the west side, 17 miles per hour on average. even worse once you get down to the accident scene. take reisterstown road as an alternate. moravia road, there is a crash and a couple of lanes closed with an accident. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. now we go to tony. >> good morning. the rain is the culprit again today. give yourself as much extra time as you can. a moderate range showing up in the far western suburbs coming across frederick and carroll counties. white sprinkles around baltimore over towards the eastern shore

counties. it is going to take a while to get to work or school. give yourself some time. we have had a sustained southeast wind over the past 24 hours. water is being pushed up the chesapeake bay. we'll see some minor flooding during times of high tide. the high tide may come in two feet above average. there is precipitation extending into the carolinas. this is a big complex storm system. it will take a while to get out of here. the center of the storm isn't west virginia. you can see the swirl in the clouds out there. the clouds are breaking up in the central part of virginia. that clearing is heading up towards us. i think the evening commute will be better than the morning commute.

there is more energy behind that that will develop more the pressure on wednesday night and thursday. upper 70's and low 70's. 72 at the airport. maybe 80 this afternoon -- upper 60's and lower 70's. may be clearing this afternoon. 76 to 81. but here's what drop back into the low 60's 0 tonight. most of tomorrow will be a dry. another chance for rain wednesday night and thursday and then perhaps friday night and saturday. take this forecast with a grain of salt once we get beyond thursday. maybe some rain on saturday in clearing up on sunday and monday with temperatures in the 60's for highs. over to the news desk. >> southwest plans to buy airtran airways.

kim dacey joins us live with more on how this could affect baltimore. >> this merger would be a billion dollar deal. baltimore should expect to see some of facts as southwest already runs 140 flights out of bwi each day. this merger will mean more flights and more passengers for the airport. there will spend more money on things like parking and food. that translates into increased revenue for the airport, the city, and the state. no decisions have been made about eliminating employees. there could be more jobs coming here to baltimore. reporting live, kim dacey, wbal- tv 11 news. >> thank you. a station is being transformed into an art museum.

santer shot explains. >> good morning. we are talking about -- sandra shaw explains. there are 18 different sculptures on display. a wide variety. it is all sponsored by the jlp gallery. we have some of the pieces behind this that are unique. >> if this is one of the artists showing with us. you can see this artist uses found objects, primarily found object to create the work here. >> it is beautiful. these are some of the smaller works. >> the largest being about 18 feet in height. >> it is called genesis. >> genesis being the opening or the first show of a revolving

exhibit, which will be revolving every six months to 12 months inside and outside greenspring station. >> this is an american flag. >> william walker is the artist. metal and this is his interpretation of our aflac. >> you have a beautiful. here anyway. >> the response has been very good. it definitely adds to the shopping experience. it gives everybody more to enjoy it while there appear shopping. >> thank you so much, tom stone. you have a while to check out, all year in fact. they will switch out the

exhibits after 12 months. that is it for now. back to you. >> ok. for the first time since the breakup with jim carrey, jenny mccarthy opens up about her relationship. that is today at 4:00 p.m. here is meredith vieira for a look at what is coming up next on the "today" show. >> good morning. wild weather from coast to coast. torrential rain in the east. 113 degrees in los angeles. new details on a custody case we have been falling. a father reunites with his sons for the first time in more than a year. he will speak out in a live interview. the owner of segway dies after accidentally driving one of its vehicles off a cliff.

stink bugs. that is all when we get started on a busy tuesday morning right here on the "today" show. >> stink bugs. and one degrees on tv hill. >> another check on weather and traffic. don't go away.

' >> kind of messy. >> you can see in the outer loop an accident is still clearing. two right lanes are closed and traffic is inching along.

police are arriving on the scene. you will see delays, 18 miles from stevenson down to the accident scene. take 140 to avoid 795. there is an accident at old frederick. there are some downed wires. there's another accident taking up the two less lanes because it is not because of falling rain. >> we have mostly light rain in baltimore. there are some bigger storms in the mountains. allegany and western washington county, there could be winds and gusts of over 60 miles per hour. mostly light rain over baltimore. the evening commute will be much better. we expect a high of 79. more rain possible wednesday night and thursday. tune into am 1090 to get weather

and traffic on the fives all day long. >> thanks for joining us for 11 news today. >> we will be back with a live update at 7:25. four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.